Traditional potato substrates may be thermally processed by frying, frying then subsequently baking, or only baking the potato substrate. When thermally processing includes frying, the potato substrate is typically submerged in heated oil for a period of time. The water within traditional potato substrate is typically composed of both chemically bound water and free water. Chemically bound water is very difficult to remove from a substrate because it is tied tightly to the substrate at the molecular level. However, the free water is less tied to the substrate and is available to exchange with the hot oil in the thermal processor (i.e., food fryer) and increases the total fat content of the potato substrate. This exchange adds oil content to the traditional potato substrate in exchange for water, which is released from within the substrate. This addition of oil to the substrate increases the fat content of the traditional fried potato substrate.
Wet batter slurry coatings are currently used to coat french fries. When coating a french fry with a wet batter slurry the overall potato product fat content increases significantly after final frying. The fat content may be increased as much as from about 5% to as high as about 100% over that of an uncoated french fry potato substrate due to this oil-water exchange. When a french fry is submerged in the heated oil of a typical food fryer the free water from within the french fry exchanges with the hot oil in the fryer significantly increasing the fat content of the french fry. Similarly, water-containing slurry coating compositions, which are often applied to the exterior surface of a french fry substrate prior to thermal processing will typically be absorbed and/or bound to various molecules within the french fry so that when the coated french fry is submerged in an oil fryer the bound water exchanges with the oil in the fryer. These traditional french fry coatings significantly increase the fat content of the french fry.
Efforts have been made to reduce the fat content in traditional potato substrates. One example is low fat baked potato chips. The low fat baked potato chips, while achieving a lower fat content than traditional potato chips, are very dry and flinty in texture. Also, these traditional baked potato chips have a poor mouthfeel and do not taste much like a traditional fried potato chip because they do not contain the fat of traditional potato chips. Additionally, these traditional low fat baked potato chips break very easily during handling, for example, during packaging, distribution, and consumption. Upon opening a bag of traditional low fat baked potato chips, the consumer is generally dissatisfied with the number of broken potato chip pieces, commonly referred to as crumbs.
Applicants have surprisingly discovered a novel and non-obvious wet slurry food coating composition to be applied to the external surface of potato substrates. This food coating is applied to the external surface of the potato substrate prior to thermal processing. Contrary to traditional food coating practices and traditional food coating experimentation results regarding coating a potato substrate with a wet slurry coating composition prior to thermal processing, the present invention, upon thermal processing results in a coated potato substrate having a total fat content of at least about 20% by weight (adjusted to a 1% product moisture basis) less fat than a substantially similarly thermally processed uncoated potato substrate. These lower-fat coated potato chips retain the texture, taste, and mouthfeel of the traditional higher fat potato chips.